HIQA has found that residents in a Galway centre for people with disabilities were not protected from physical, emotional and institutional abuse due to poor management responses to incidents involving residents.
The centre, which is run by the Brothers of Charity Services, comprises two houses which are home to ten residents with a severe to profound intellectual disability. Some have autism.
Last March, within hours of the watchdog beginning its first full announced inspection, it decided to focus almost exclusively on the inadequate protection of residents in one premises.
Records showed that over the previous 16 months, there had been a large number of regular physical resident-on-resident assaults.
The inspector was concerned that their number and nature had not been responded to in a timely manner and that the service's inadequate response to one resident's complex needs had contributed to the incidents.
The inspector was concerned the incidents were not identified or investigated as abuse or notified to HIQA as required by the regulations.
Meanwhile, the Brothers of Charity Services in Cork have been criticised by the watchdog for failing to adequately protect residents of a similar centre in the event of fire.
The service inspected last August in Cork was caring for eight residents.
Inspectors found they were generally well cared for. However the provider was asked immediately to address inadequate staff supervision and inadequate procedures to protect residents from accidental injury or fire.
Separately, an unannounced inspection of a similar centre in Limerick run by the Daughters of Charity Services found major breaches of regulations which impacted on the safety of residents in relation to both medicines management and risk management.
Its thirteen female residents have moderate to severe intellectual disabilities and many are non-verbal.
Reports on nine other Brothers of Charity centres and two other Daughters of Charity facilities show a much higher level of compliance with regulations and the Cork and Limerick centres which are criticised are praised for their general standard of care.
